The Registry saved the country from collapse. But stability has come at a price. In this patriotic new America, girls are raised to be brides, sold at auction to the highest bidder. Boys are raised to be soldiers, trained by the state to fight to their death.

Nearly eighteen, beautiful Mia Morrissey excitedly awaits the beginning of her auction year. But a warning from her married older sister raises dangerous thoughts. Now, instead of going up on the block, Mia is going to escape to Mexico—and the promise of freedom.

All Mia wants is to control her own destiny—a brave and daring choice that will transform her into an enemy of the state, pursued by powerful government agents, ruthless bounty hunters, and a cunning man determined to own her . . . a man who will stop at nothing to get her back.

-goodreads.com description

When I first read the idea of this and then saw it was available on Edelweiss, I knew I had to give it a try. This one has been getting a lot of mixed reviews, but I actually enjoyed it. I don't think I would re-read it, but if there is a sequel, I think I'd look into it. I loved the idea behind the Registry even if it did remind me of a mix of other dystopian books, "Matched, Delirium, Hunger Games..."

However, I felt the pacing went quite well. I flew through the book to find out if Mia would get her freedom, if romance was in the cards, and what the repercussions of her escape would be.
Again, I liked the plot well enough, but I felt like there were a lot of things lacking for me. I don't feel like I got enough characterization. I liked Mia, the main character, well enough but I wasn't overly attached to her. Sure, I wanted her to be able to live her life free of oppression and I definitely didn't want to see her get caught by her horrible, psychotic 'husband'. Stoker explains to us that Mia used to dream of finding a husband in the Registry and she couldn't wait to be entered- she was one of those frivolous girls. But after an incident with her sister, Mia comes to the realization that maybe the Registry is not all it seems. Now, the girl that used to dream of her wedding, can't stomach the thought of one and wants to run away. However, her father has already found a suitor for her, by the name of Grant Marsden. (I love Grants, so I hate this one was a bad one!) He is a billionaire, but is cocky, self-assured, and an arrogant ass. Your hatred for him really grows throughout the book, as you see the lengths he will go to to find Mia and bring her back. It's all a game to him, he is thrilled by the chase of finding Mia. Which is crazy, because he doesn't want anything to do with her. He simply does not want to be shamed and he wants her just because he can.

Which brings us to Andrew. He is a worker for Mia's family, who has a few months before he can enter the service. He gets swept up in Mia's escape plan, and together, they and her best friend Whitney, who has no marriageable prospects, attempt to flee to Mexico. I can't really say I liked Andrew. He was irritable, cold, distant and made it very clear on multiple occasions he didn't want to be helping them. Yet, after several opportunities to abandon them, he doesn't. He intends to see it through and while he is slightly attracted to Mia, he will not allow himself to get close to her. I don't know how to really explain this, but the romance just felt so forced between them. It didn't flow naturally. I've read a lot of stories about cold, distant guys who refuse to acknowledge feelings to the female lead. But slowly over time, their tough exterior chips away and they find themselves falling. I didn't really get that with Andrew. It was like "I don't like you, I can't stand you" to "Ok, I love you. Let me tell you now that you're having other feelings and get all pissed off over it."

Yes, I said other feelings, as in another guy. Sigh. I only like love triangles when they're done right. This was just thrown in for added measure. Towards the end of their journey, they meet Rod and his son, Carter. They are the last leg of the escape, if you will, and hides them in their house until it is time to cross the border. Carter is the complete opposite of Andrew. He is open, flirty, and makes no attempt to hide his interest in Mia. There is kissing involved between the two, but really Mia wants Andrew. To the point where she'll kiss Carter and pretend it's him. Yeah.

Then, there's Whitney, Mia's best friend. Mia begs her to run away with her and although she has some reservations, she agrees. She knows she doesn't have any marriage prospects in America, so why not see what's available for her in Mexico? I don't really know how I feel about Whitney's character. She was a good friend to Mia, but at times, she really got on my nerves. I thought she would be the tough one, but after an unavoidable incident occurring Andrew, she gets worked up and distrustful.

As I said, I felt the pacing went well, but I still felt like there were some events that happened for shock value, but it was really to add some action into the story. I'm more of a fan of buildup, but a lot of events were kind of rapid-fire. And then the ending, just kind of ends. It's not a cliff-hanger, but it does leave us going, 'Well, now what?'

Overall, I certainly didn't mind reading this book and it did hold my attention, but it just didn't have the wow factor I was hoping for.

This sounds very interesting, but with all the other dystopians out there I am not sure if I would have patience for it :) Your review was very thorough and you definitely convinced me to consider this book, tho! In fact, before reading your review, I haven't even heard about this book, so thanks for putting it on my radar, girl! :)

Hmm yeah this seems to be a popular opinion, great potential but falls short. Such a shame but seems as per usual with dystopians this year. Still looking forward to reading it tho, I like the concept but wish the execution was better.

My Rating System

1 star: I did not like this book.2 stars: This book was just ok for me.3 stars: I liked this book.4 stars: I really liked this book andyou should check it out.5 stars: This book was amazing. Go get it andstart reading. Now! :)